Method and system for reducing pollutants from engine exhaust

Claim 1

The method of claim 1 wherein the secondary air flow is directed in a flow course inside the exhaust flow course.

Claim 3

A system for eliminating hydrocarbon, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide as pollutants emission resulting from combusting a hydrocarbon fuel at a fuel/air mixture ratio at which enriched levels of hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide pollutants are produced as exhaust comprising in combination with an internal combustion engine in which the fuel is combusted and having an exhaust manifold for receiving the exhaust products from the engine, means connected with said exhaust manifold for receiving said enriched pollutants exhaust and cooling the same to reduce the temperature thereof to a level at which nitrogen cannot combine with oxygen to form nitrogen oxide, means providing a secondary flow of atmospheric air, means for converting at least some of the oxygen in said atmospheric air to ozone, a reactor member connected with said oxygen converting means and said exhaust cooling means for receiving said exhaust and said ozone containing secondary air flow and reacting the ozone with the hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide pollutants for oxidizing same and converting them to water and carbon dioxide, said reactor including means for increasing the reaction velocity of the reactants while they are in said reactor, and means for removing heat from said reactor to maintain the temperature therein below that at which any nitrogen in the secondary air and exhaust can combine with ozone to form nitrogen oxide, said reactor comprising an elongated casing, a helical wound element disposed centrally in said casing and having a foraminous member encircling the same and defining an inner chamber, means for communicating secondary air from said oxygen converting means to said inner chamber, said reactor having a second helical wound element encircling said foraminous member, and a second foraminous member encircling said second helical member and defining a second chamber, said first and second helical members being wound in opposite directions, and means for communicating exhaust from said cooling means to said chamber, there being provided further means for directing flow from said inner to outer chamber radially witHin said casing.